Looking Back on 2023

Note: The video above is the short (and incomplete) version of this post.

Have to get this off my chest before January ends, or else I’ll never get to do it. Also, the video is a bit of a bad summary of it, but it’s there if you want...

If I’m going to sum up what 2023 is to me, I would say that it has been a time of great change, and with noticeable resistance from me for most of them. And it’s not just when it comes to creative endeavors, but also my personal life.

I know I managed to do it in paragraphs when I did the video, but I think I’d be able to better focus if I list them down (in no particular order.)

1. I stopped streaming.

So, I started streaming some time after finishing up a pretty difficult writing job after two major losses in my life. It’s kind of a way to deal with it, and at the same time, I’ve been wanting to try it.

It was fun, for the most part, but I soon got close to burning out over it (since apparently it still takes a lot from you even though it’s considered “lazy” by some people), and the quality of the output is something I wasn’t really happy with, so I stopped eventually. And yes, I mean eventually, since I was still pretty hesitant at first. After all, I was going to practically abandon what I’ve somewhat built up over that time and start over on another platform.

I haven’t been particularly consistent yet, and a lot of the videos I have up on the YouTube channels I have are VODs, but at least it’s been less stressful, schedule-wise.

That said, though... Yes, I did make a second channel. And looking back on it, it was a bit more work, but considering that I might move to the said channel, it’s okay, I guess?

2. I stopped engaging with Twitter (no, I am not calling it X) and Tumblr as much.

Yeah, I was going to completely stop going to Twitter altogether, but I’ve only really stopped posting. As of now, I am still looking at it occasionally and liking stuff a bit. It also applies to the similar Threads and Bluesky (even though we’ve gotten access to that one fairly recently.)

With Tumblr, it’s more I’m not posting anything there anymore (and actually not going to the site), mostly because I’ve decided to start using my website as a place for my writing and other stuff.

But still, it’s nice not to be so exposed to discussions that shouldn’t have been started in the first place. Experiencing them secondhand through people who talk about them, in particular, has actually made them easier to put into perspective. One can only imagine how anyone ever preserves their mental health in the virtual content creator sphere (no, I am not calling it a community, because it’s not.)

3. I’ve realized more about how I should identify myself.

So, I’ve been referring to myself as “six cats in a bag”, right? That’s pretty much the whole shtick of my online name. Well, there’s been some more assertions about that in the past year.

I’ve realized that I really am pretty much a broken person who’s more a “collective I” than an actual “we” and the “we” part is more internal. So while we keep the whole “cats in the bag” thing, how the “cats” relate to the “bag” is a lot clearer than before when we were trying to, I guess, show outwardly to everyone that we are a “we” too.

I’ve started using “I” more when referring to this person, as you see right now. And you know what? It’s okay. We don’t have to keep saying we’re so separate when we’re more similar than different.

4. I’ve started looking for work, somewhat. (there's a reason for this)

I did say before somewhere that I’ve passed a certain exam, and now I’m getting into the job hunt again after a long while. The last time was several years ago... and it wasn’t even a cold application, to be honest, as I was recommended by a friend and only had to work on requirements and the interview.

I don’t have one yet, as of this writing, but I have been reminded of a few important life things, some of which I might talk about here.

Although... I haven’t said it in the video, but I am still deciding whether or not to go all out on it. I am still torn on it, and I think I might talk about that in another post... to help me get my thoughts together, and tell you about this dilemma. Of course, if you don’t want to read it, you don’t have to.

5. I’ve started going to church again.

I will say that I’ve been exposed to the Christian faith ever since I was a kid, and while I still believe in God and Jesus, I’ve had bad experiences with churches before and that kind of made me think that it’s okay to not go to church as long as there’s at least some form of fellowship.

Well, fine, the church attendance thing didn’t happen just in 2023, but the year before. However, I only really warmed up to it in 2023, after some internal resistance on my end. At the start, I was just trying to be on guard, just in case they were teaching and preaching questionable stuff.

Thankfully, this one is different and they weren’t being sus, and so I can say that I really am with people who share my faith, and it’s nice. Heck, they've pointed out So yeah, if I ever casually (I don't think it should be casual...) mention anything about God, Jesus, or the Bible, you know what’s up.

That’s about it for the recap and looking forward to the rest of this year. For now, my goals (at least creative-wise) are: